


Summer in the City

by m_s_b



Series: 30 Day Summer Challenge [6]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 2000AU, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-05
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-11 22:38:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2085792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_s_b/pseuds/m_s_b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even Jim, who's accustomed to dealing with sleeplessness, finds it shockingly hard to rest in the heat this summer brought to London.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer in the City

**Author's Note:**

> 2000AU drabble; prompt: sleeplessness
> 
>  
> 
> This is my first attempt at steampunk. Please, forgive me all my mistakes and stupid similes and metaphors.

James sighed heavily, pushing his magnifying goggles up to the top of his head. Glistening weakly in the faint light of a gas lamp were cogs, gears and springs which littered the surface of the small work table. Jim stared at scrap metal for a moment before pushing it aside with another sigh.

‘It’s pointless,’ he murmured to himself as he ran his hand across his face; the skin was covered in a film of sweat. A heat wave had been holding London in its scorching grip for over three weeks now, making the lives of Londoners unbearable. The stench filling the streets was horrible and the great airships hanging over the city seemed to block the only way the smell could escape.

Nights brought the awaited breath of cool air, although the change in the temperature was so slight that it gave no comfort whatsoever. Every morning Jim would pass men and women with tired faces and heavy-lidded eyes; it seemed that the whole London suffered from sleeplessness. Well, almost the whole London, Jim thought, listening to snoring coming from the next room. The heat had no effect on Sebastian - growing up in India, he was used to high temperatures.

James stood up and stretched, wincing when the shirt stuck to his skin. Barefooted, he padded to the main room, sat in one of the armchairs and fanned himself with an old issue of The Times. He had tried everything: taking cold baths, drinking cold tea, walking around in bare feet. He even soaped his head and washed foam with ice-cold water, but to no avail. Sleeplessness wasn’t something new to Jim: sometimes his thoughts were running so quickly, spinning and turning in his mind like carriage wheels, constant whirring and humming preventing him from falling asleep. Even then, however, tinkering with cogs and gears, piecing them together to create something new and grand helped him to quiet the noises enough to get a few hours of sleep. It didn’t help him now, though.

It was too hot to sleep, but it was also too hot to work and invent. It was almost as if sweat from his damp hair soaked through his skin and skull straight to his brain, slowing down its cogs and springs like an excessive amount of grease.

James could feel sweat beading on his brow and threw the newspaper aside with an angry huff. If only he could think of a more efficient way of cooling the air… Shaking his head, Jim rose from the armchair. It was frustrating. He couldn’t even think straight, he couldn’t… see any image in his mind. Irritated, he circled the armchair, twisting his fingers.

 

~oOo~

 

Sebastian was up with the sun. He contemplated the way sunrays intermingled with smoke and steam raising over the roofs of the slowly awakening city before dressing in the sand-coloured three piece suit. He looked at himself in the full-length mirror and, happy with what he saw, he headed to the main room.

The sight that awaited him made Seb smile. Jim was curled up in the armchair, sound asleep, his damp hair plastered to his head. Next to him, on a small coffee table stood a decanter of whiskey and an empty tumbler. Initial amusement was quickly washed over by the wave of worry. James was a teatotaller: he always scolded Seb when he had a recreational drink or two and now… He knew that Jim had trouble sleeping, but he never expected him to drink himself to sleep. They would have to talk about it later.

Quietly, he took the decanter and the tumbler. Clinking of glass seemed to be enough to wake Jim up; he stirred and slowly opened his eyes.

‘Sebastian?’ His voice was coarse from sleep. ‘What time is it?’

 _James-_ Sebastian put away the glass and turned to his friend. Jim sat straight, putting his bare feet on the floor.

‘My head hurts,’ he mumbled tiredly.

Seb sighed.

 _I know_ , he helped Jim on his feet, _Let’s take you back to bed, shall we?_ Slowly, he led James to the bedroom and delicately pushed him on the bed.

An hour later, drinking his morning tea, Sebastian finished a letter to his mother. He was sure Lady Moran would agree with him. They had to leave London and Morans’ mansion was the best place to escape the heat.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you didn't suffer much during reading this silly piece.


End file.
